Seasonal Whiplash

At Home Arkansas is my new best friend. In addition to getting the opportunity to write an article about our bedroom, they asked me to do a holiday guest post on their blog. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a smidge bit of stage fright. It's one thing to show up here and write about PMS and my husband's sleepwalking/underwear-grabbing tendencies. But as I contemplated submitting material for an actual, legitimate, classy publication, I realized I'd have to scale back my original blog post title: Holiday Etiquette: Don't Pick Your Boogers At the Table.

So as I hauled my decorations out a month early, yellow leaves fluttering past the window, it was an odd feeling. Matt was thoroughly confused and a little panicked as he walked into the room and was blinded by the glare of white twinkle lights.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" he yelped, sidestepping a box marked "Santa, Pine-Cones, Tacky Streamers We'll Never Use."

"Relax," I muttered, "I'm taking pictures for a guest blog post."

"Are you seriously going to leave all this up until Christmas?"

I shrugged sulkily, "Wal-Mart put up their Christmas stuff after Halloween."

"LIZ, it's November 8th."

I shrugged again, passive-aggressively adjusting some ornaments and hoping he'd go away.
No such luck.

"I'll even help you put it back in the attic."

"Fine," I snapped, suddenly depressed at the thought of losing all the red, pink and aqua twinkleyness around me.

But he was right. I mean, we're having Thanksgiving at our house this year. I don't want to give my family seasonal whip-lash and make them think they've been fast-forwarded through time and space to the end of December. And... I'm pretty sure the neighbors would laugh/point.
So, it was a fun tiny little snippet of Christmas, taking pictures, writing the post. But I'm back to reality. I'm not getting ahead of the season anymore, and looking forward to Thanksgiving. Nothing but pine cones and turkeys from here on out.

I'll let you know when the my guest post runs, and for a preview of all the guest bloggers lined up, check it out here. Thanks again to Diane & Paulette. You ladies have made the past few weeks very, very interesting and fun.

Favorite Links: House Inspiration

Since I've been the recipient of so much unmerited favor (AKA kindly blog features), I thought it was high time I returned the favor and featured a few of my favorite go-to gals for house inspiration. Here goes.





A Soft Place to Land

Kimba can wield a spray paint can faster than you can blink (like these glass bottles, who'd have thought?). What I love most about her blog is the down to earth, 'you can actually afford to do these' projects. Of course, she's like a super blogger, and everyone knows about her. But in case you haven't heard, hop over. And I'll see you again in a month.

Brooklyn Limestone

I love Mrs. Limestone. She's classy, thrifty, and did I mention classy? I can never aspire to living in such a fabulous abode, but I do get to live vicariously through her super cool blog. And anyone, I repeat, ANYONE who has a turquoise home office is ok in my book.

Domestic PDX

Here's a little blog I stumbled onto while surfing the net. There are lots of reasons to love this house.
1. It's in Portland, the most beautiful city ever.
2. It's a bungalow. Enough said.
3. She has pink formica counter tops in her kitchen. Sigh.

Hennessey House

I met Sarah while surfing the net very recently. Here's a gal who is not afraid of painting furniture. She's fun.

Nie Nie Dialogues

I know what you're saying. "Liz, Stephanie's blog is not about decorating." And it's not. But, every now and then she gives us a tiny peak at where she lives and I always love it. Stephanie is such an amazing lady, and it only makes sense that her living space would be a tiny reflection of her fantastic spirit.

Lola B

There are NOT words for this blog. Just go check it out. Trust me.

Retro Renovation

This was one of my very first blog haunts. Perfect for anyone living in a ranch home. After spending an hour on this blog, you'll learn to love your vintage pink bathroom.

Restyled Home

It's just not a party without Linda. She was, perhaps, my very first blog friend and is still my favorite. She's so very talented, kind and generous.

The Cottage Nest

This is another blog I've been following for a long time. This is not Jen's house (which is also adorable), but a picture of a place she simply refers to as "The Village." She and her family will be moving there shortly and I just can't wait to see their future house!

Whatever

Meg is a fabulous decorator, mom of many, and all around crafty lady. Not to mention the fact that her home reminds of the house on Meet Me In St. Louis.

V & Company

Last but not least, we have V & Company. Vanessa is another fabulous mom, and a great quilter/crafter to boot. And... her house is as cute as a bug. How adorable is this painted dresser she uses in her kitchen?

Ask Liz: Collecting Vintage Pottery and Glass (AKA: What The Heck Is That)

The number one question I get asked is a version of this:


"What is that vase/planter/bowl/pitcher and where did you find it?"


And I keep promising people I'll do one comprehensive post and cover all these questions in one place. So let's light this candle.

First, let's tackle the "where did you find it" question. All of my glassware and pottery comes from antique malls, flea markets, and sometimes ebay. These are not things you can find in Target or Wal-Mart or Pottery Barn. BUT those businesses could learn a big fat marketing lesson from Anthropologie and start carrying vintage-style products.


There are a few major brands that you'll keep running into: Hull, USA, McCoy, Heager, Shawnee, Roseville, Homer Laughlin, to name a few. And FYI, I've never been able to afford Roseville.

1. Planters

There are a billion jillion kinds of vintage planters, like these bear cubs.

And like this rectangle planter.

Or these deer planters. I have more planters than anything else, namely because they are so easy to find and affordable. I never pay more than $10 (unless it's a McCoy, but we'll get to that later). The planters I come home with are usually unmarked, chipped, and cheap. You can find them in abundance in any flea market.

What I love most is their versatility. You can use them for plants, or a pencil holder on your office desk. You can prop pictures in them, store extra change, stamps, and paperclips. For example, I use a larger one to hold my dish washing soap and scrubber beside the sink. There are endless possibilities for these little guys.

2. Pyrex

Let me start out by saying, I'm not a super collector of Pyrex. I have a few bowls, mostly courtesy of a generous friend who bought them at an estate sale. But these nesting bowls, in addition to hundreds of colors and shapes of baking ware, are a huge collectible. You used to be able to purchase these for literally cents at flea markets and estate sales. But these days prices are skyrocketing, so be prepared to spend at minimum $10 or $15 per bowl.

3. Fiestaware

The biggest misconception people who read my blog have is that I have a giant set of vintage Fiestaware. But it's not vintage, it's new and we got it for our wedding registry. The color is "persimmon" and it's currently still be being made. You can find it at any Dillards or wedding registry store.

There is a great wide world of vintage Fiestaware, and ladies, it ain't cheap. But the colors you can find are fabulous, especially the color glazes used in the late 30's and 40's. Oh yeah, and the original orange plates were radioactive, just FYI.

4. McCoy

Here are a few of my McCoy finds. From left to right:

a. Planters. You can find McCoy planters in wide abundance, in a range of prices. But word to the wise, you won't snatch one up for $2 or $3 dollars. They usually hover around $20 to $60. You can even find frogs, alligators, pelicans, and birds. But this is an example of one of my favorites.

b. Jardinières. These are larger than regular planters, made for larger arrangements of flowers or plants. This is hands down my favorite type of McCoy to collect, but frankly, I rarely find them and only have two right now. This particular piece is part of the 'rustic line' from the 40's. I adore the aqua colors mixed with brown and the pine cone pattern (I'm thinking this will have to be part of the table scape on Thanksgiving). Again, these are not cheap, usually around $60 to $100. BUT I scored this one for $23 on ebay. There are exceptions to every rule.

c. Vases. This vase is fairly common. There are lots and lots of different McCoy vase types. They are usually within the same price rage as the jardinières. Get ready to be obsessed.

5. Depression Glass

I'm not an expert on this, but I inherited this hobnail pink bowl from my great-grandmother. It's part of the Miss America line and I love it. If the house catches on fire, I'm grabbing my mother's paintings, this bowl and Mabel. Well, OF COURSE Matt too.

Depression Glass comes in mostly green and pink, various shades, various patterns. You can find them easily on ebay or a nice antique store.

6. Homer Laughlin Orange Tree Bowls

These are sometimes referred to as Apple Tree bowls. Their elongated tree patterns mimic art pottery and they were manufactured in the 30's. Sometimes you can find them in white and orange. There are not words to express my love for these bowls. There is also not enough money in my bank account to afford a complete nesting set of them, which would run anywhere from $200 to $300. They are very rarely found in an antique store or estate sale. Your best bet is hunting on ebay.

Lastly, always remember to look at the bottom of the planter/vase/bowl. Usually, you'll always find the maker's mark, in this case a HLco for Homer Laughlin Company. It's a really good starting place to determine the worth and history of a piece. So the next time you find a small turquiose planter and it's tagged $30, don't drop it because the price burned your hand. Flip it over. If you see McCoy on the bottom, you'll understand the price.

There are lots of categories and brands I haven't gone into; Milk Glass, Carnival Glass, and Anchor Hocking to name a few. For instance, did you know that while white milk glass is very common, they also manufactured aqua and pink as well? Or that carnival glass comes in greenish/black, purplish/gray, and peachy/pink tones? It's an endless world. A world that I could easily lose myself, and my mortgage payment.

I hope this little tour answers most of your questions about the where's and why's of my kitchen shelves. Now go forth and shop. And good luck balancing your check book.

Photo Shoot, Clean Baseboards

Sometimes we're confronted with situations that force us to clean our homes. And when I say clean, I mean really clean, NOT sweep the dust off the top of the tv with your hand or shove a stack of dirty clothes into the corner of the closet. I'm talking 'pass your grandmother's inspection' clean.

And that's where I found myself this week. Why?

Because our bedroom is going to be featured in At Home Arkansas ! And since the camera doesn't lie, I've been filling nail homes and sweeping dust bunnies with the fury of 50 Merry Maids. But it was so worth it.

This is Nancy Nolan, a fabulous photographer who officially won my heart when I discovered she loves painted wood trim as much as I do. It was a very detailed conversation, one that would make most wood-grain-purists turn gray and reach for the trash can. I love meeting kindred spirits.

Basically, I just hung around and soaked it all in while these super human people positioned and repositioned and arranged flowers and pillow shams with the patience and know-how of saints.

I'll be sure and let you know when the article comes out (it may be online as well), but I probably wont have to bother since you'll likely meet my mother on the streets as she passes out issues to total strangers and says, "THIS is my daughter's bedroom." Oye Vey.

All in all, this was by far the highlight of my year. Thanks so much Diane, Paulette, Nancy and Rett for a wonderful day!

Energy Smoothie, I'm Gonna Need It

Matt's been making me the best smoothies.
He says they'll give me energy.
I think they taste like dessert.
It's a win/win situation.

I've got a lot on my plate right now. A big furniture makeover project for my sister is looming, I'm mulling over a guest-room redo that will cause Poor Matt do roll his eyes and groan, AND an actual real-deal photographer is coming to my house tomorrow (more on that later). So to summarize: I need my energy.

I also need energy to ignore my counter tops/back splash that I don't love. But now is not the time.



I know.... I should post the smoothie recipe for this. But the fact is, Matt is above directions. He flies by the seat of his pants. So here are the ingredients, good luck.

Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Orange Juice
Soy Milk
Vanilla Yogurt
Honey

So I'm off today. Running like crazy, cleaning the baseboards, eyeing paint samples. It feels good to be 'this' kind of busy.

Oh, and PS, our blender started leaking.

I said, "Hey, I'll get you one for Christmas."

To which Matt responded, "NO... I'll buy YOU one for Christmas."

Touché Matt, touché.

For The Love of Woodlawn Charm

Molly was kind enough to send me pics of her newly painted china cabinet. Let's all say it together, "Sigggghhhhhh." She wasn't originally in love with it's dark rustic wood tones, so she decided to paint it using Valspar Woodlawn Charm, one of my favorite colors ever.

Funnily enough, she said it looked awful before it dried, but by the next morning she loved it. It's nice to know my plan of world domination, um, I mean, painted furniture is spreading. Thanks for sharing Molly!

Sleepy Dog, Quiet Morning

I love mornings.

The house is quiet, the sunlight peeks in the windows and Mabel snoozes on the couch.

I'm a little jealous of course. I wish I could sleep like this.